NIGERIA: IMPOVERISHING THE PEOPLE TO ENRICH THE KING

 

TEXT: Genesis 41–47.
Introduction: The Burden of the Word
Hear the word of the Lord.
Egypt was once a refuge—a place where My people found bread in famine,
Shelter in uncertainty, and preservation in the days of distress.
But Egypt forgot.
They forgot the God who preserved them.
They forgot the purpose of abundance.
They forgot that power is a trust, not a possession.

“Beware that you do not forget the LORD your God by not keeping His commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you today, ¹² lest—when you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and dwell in them; ¹³ and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; ¹⁴ when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the LORD your God” Deuteronomy 8:11-14.

Although, the passage was addressed to the people of Israel but highly applicable to all mankind, Egyptians inclusive.

Yoruba Proverb says
“Odo tí o bá gbagbé orísun, a gbẹ́.” (When a river forgets its source, it dries up.)
And in their forgetting, they built a system—a system that gathered everything to the throne and left the people with nothing but their lives.

I. When Systems Begin to Swallow People
Thus says the Lord:
In the days of plenty, grain was gathered.
In the days of famine, grain was released.
But what began as preservation did not remain pure.
For though the famine was permitted by God and wisdom was given for survival, the structure that emerged revealed the heart of men.

“For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10.

And in the desperation of hunger, the people sold all:
• Their money,
• Their cattle,
• Their land,
• And finally, themselves.
What began as preservation ended as possession.
What began as wisdom ended as control.
What began as leadership became domination.

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Ohun tí a bá fi ọwọ́ kọ́, a máa fi gbogbo ara gbé e.”
(What is lightly handled at the beginning may later consume the whole body.)

II. The Pattern Behind the System
Understand this:
God preserves people—but men often preserve power.
What was designed to sustain life gradually centralized authority.
Dependence replaced strength.
Control replaced stewardship.
Ownership replaced dignity.
And survival replaced freedom.
And so, without chains on their hands,
The people entered bondage.

III. A Word Concerning Nigeria
Hear this, O Nigeria.
In this present leadership season under Bola Ahmed Tinubu, you walk through a time that resembles famine— Not always of food, But of affordability, Of stability, And of the ease of life that gives dignity to labour.

‘’Woe to those who join house to house; They add field to field, till there is no place 
Where they may dwell alone in the midst of the land.’’ Isaiah 5:8

And the Lord asks: Why are My people working, yet growing poorer? Why does labour no longer produce dignity? Why does effort no longer secure stability?
Why are systems tightening while the people are weakening.
For when a nation structures survival around policies that weaken the many and strengthen the few, It walks the ancient path of Egypt.

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Ilú tí kò ní òfin, kì í pẹ́, ó máa bajẹ́.”
(A nation without justice will not endure; it will decay.)

IV. The Sin of Economic Bondage
Thus says the Lord:
Any system that:
• Takes from the weak to strengthen the strong,
• Converts citizens into dependents,
• Makes survival a privilege instead of a right,
Has departed from righteousness.

He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker,
But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. Proverbs 14:31.
"For I am not a God  
Who builds kings by breaking people.
I am the God
Who raises people, so that kings may serve them.

He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly. Luke 1:52

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Àgbà tí ń jẹ ọmọ lójú, kì í jẹ́ kí ọmọ dàgbà.” (The elder who constantly takes from the child prevents the child from growing.)
Woe to any system that reverses this order.’’

V. Crisis Reveals the Heart of Leadership
The famine in Egypt was permitted—
But the response exposed the heart of leadership.

“If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.” — Proverbs 24:10.
Crisis will always reveal:

Whether leaders are compassionate or opportunistic, whether power is used to uplift or to control.
For there are those who see crisis and build people!
And there are those who see crisis and build empires!

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Àkókò ìṣòro ni a ti mọ ẹni tí ó jẹ́ ènìyàn.”
(It is in times of trouble that true character is revealed.)

VI. The Warning: From Refuge to Prison
Egypt did not become a prison in one day.
It became a prison gradually: Dependence… Then control… Then ownership… Then bondage.

‘’While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.’’ 2 Peter 2:19.

So, hear this, people of Nigeria: Not all help heals. Some help weakens. Some relief enslaves.

Yoruba Proverb:
“Kí ni kó jẹ́ kí a máa bẹ̀rẹ̀ lọ́wọ́ ẹni tí ó ń jẹ wa? (Why keep begging from the one who is consuming you?)
Be discerning.
For any system that removes your strength while claiming to sustain you
Is not preserving you—it is positioning to control you.

VII. The Cry of the People
The people of Egypt cried:
“Buy us and our land for bread.”
And today, a similar cry rises—

‘’I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows.’’ Exodus 3:7.
Not always in words, but in suffering: In the trader who cannot restock, In the worker whose wage cannot sustain life, In the young who see no future,
In families stretched beyond endurance. The cry has gone up to heaven. And God hears.

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Ẹkún ẹni tí a tẹ̀ sílẹ̀ kì í ṣofo lọ́run.” (The cry of the oppressed does not go unheard in heaven.)

VIII. The Standard of the Kingdom
For My Kingdom is not like Pharaoh’s system, says the Lord: I restore—I do not strip. I empower—I do not enslave. I multiply dignity—I do not reduce men to survival.

The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10.

In My order:
• Leadership serves the people • Systems strengthen the weak • Prosperity is shared, not hoarded

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Ọba kì í jẹ́ kó ṣọ́ọ̀ṣọ́, ká má rí èrè rè ní ìlú.”(A king must not prosper alone while the people suffer.)
Woe to any structure that contradicts this pattern.

IX. The Call to Leaders and the People
Therefore, hear the counsel of the Lord:
To Leaders: Power is stewardship.

“Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful.” — 1 Corinthians 4:2.

You will answer not only for policies, but for outcomes.
Not only for intentions, but for the condition of the people
Build systems that:
• Strengthen productivity
• Restore dignity to labour
• Empower citizens, not entrap them

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Adé tí ó wu kó pé, gbọ́dọ̀ gbọ́ ohun talákà.” (A crown that will last must listen to the cry of the poor.)

For history records policies—but heaven weighs impact.
To the People:
Do not surrender your discernment.
Do not normalize suffering.
Do not celebrate survival,
When God has ordained abundance.
Refuse to call bondage “adjustment.”
Refuse to call hardship “progress.”

Yoruba Proverb says:
“Tí ẹrú bá pẹ́ nílé ẹrú, ó máa pe ara rẹ̀ ní ọmọ ilé.” (When a slave stays too long in slavery, he begins to call himself freeborn.)
For a people who lose their ability to discern, Will eventually lose their freedom.

Conclusion: A Call and a Warning
Thus says the Lord:
I do not impoverish My people to enrich kings.
I raise kings to serve My people.

“Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” — Proverbs 14:34.

And where systems have been built
That drain the strength of the people—
I will shake them.
Where burdens have been placed
That crush destinies—
I will lift them.
Where voices have been silenced—
I will cause them to rise again.

Final Declaration
Nigeria shall not become Egypt in bondage.

For I have ordained her

For dignity,
For strength,
And for a future.
And every system that resists this purpose
Shall not stand.

“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you… thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” — Jeremiah 29:11.

Jesus is Lord.

Kunle Adebambo
A writing prophet—sent to confront deception, expose false alignment, and call nations back to righteousness andtruth.
March 29, 2026